Method of producing illusory ornamental effects in architectural structures



M. SUTPHEN v Dec. 30, 1930. R 1,786,789 METHOD 0? PBODUCING ILLUSORY ORNAMENTAL EFFECTS IN ARCHITECTURAL STRUCTURES Filed Feb. 21. 1929 INVENTOR War/fiforrzls'fulfenx ATTQR EY Patented Dec. 30, 19 30 i l UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIc a C3 ROBERT M. SU'IPHEN, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN ENAMELED BRICK 8:. TILE COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. 'Y., A CORPORATION OF .NEW YORK METHOD OF PRODUCING ILLUSOBY OBNAMENTAL EFFECTS IN STRUCTURES s App ication me'i February 21, 1929. Serial No. 34mm.

This invention relates to a method of producing illusory ornamental effects in architectural structures and, in one important aspect thereof, is characterized by the intelligent apprehension and application'ofhighly glazed face brick of contrasting colors to selected parts of the structure, whereby the definitive fundamental design of the structure, visually appears to have been altered or changed.

It is also an important object of my invention to provide a method as above characterized, whereby it is for instance, possible by the proper application of such variously colored glazed face brick to most efi'ectively utilize the high light reflecting qualities of the uncolored or white glazed surfaces to enhance the artificialillumination of such parts of the building at night by means of flood lights, while such parts of the building in contrast to adjacent parts thereof and the background will also appear to be illuminated in the day time.

It is a further general object of the invention to provide a method whereby the fundasame.

The next thing is to get better illumination results by having clearness used in the structure of .the building capable of returning to the eye any one of the seven primar colors in the full purity of any individua color; and, or, no color at all reflected from the illumination of the brick or the portions where black brick is used.

T he further object is by the use of the-black, and the white, and the mottled and a judicious location of the same to approach, or accent plish, or simulate in the day time, the close approach to the special night time effects which are now being striven for during the darker hours for illumination by the use of white lights. I

\Vith the above and other objects in view, -I'have illustrated in the accompanying drawing the manner in which my improved method may be practically applied, and which will be fully described in the following specification and subsequently incorporated in the appended claims.

In the drawings, in which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several -v iews,

Figure 1 is an elevation showing 'the general architectural design of abuildingstructure; Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the buildmg after the contrastingly colored glazed or enameled face bricks have been applied to selected portions thereof;

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the same building showing a different application of the enameled face brick whereby the illusion of a different fundamental building design is produced Fig. t is an elevation of the general architectural design of an ofiice building of the recessional type;

Fig. 5 is an elevation of the same building having the difl'erently colored glazed surface brick applied to parts of the upper portion thereof and illustrating such parts of the building as being artificially illuminated at night;

Fig. 6 is a view of the same building illustrating its appearance in the day time;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of an architeetural structure illustrating the manner in which the illumination of the upper portion of the structure by reflective light from the white glazed surface brick may be emphasized, and

Fig. 8 is a detail perspective view showing another application of my improved method .to a selected part of a building structure.

Referring in detail to the drawings and more particularly to Fig. 1 thereof, the structure illustrated therein is architecturall known as the recessional type wherein at di ferent elevations, parts of the building for predetermined vertical heights at opposite sides thereof are set back as indicated at 5. said building in the instance illustrated, tel" minating in an ornamental tower (i.

As shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, this fundamental building design may be altered or changed so as to emphasize and make prominent certain parts of the structure while others are subdued and rendered inconspicuous. Thus to the base portion 7 of the building at selected areas thereof, I have illustrated the application of black enameled face brick 8, which, as is well known, do not. reiiect light rays. Lines of face brick of the same color indicated at 9 may extend in parallel relation to each other upwardly from. the. adjacent sides of the base areas 8 and in spaced relation thereto additional vertically extending areas of the building may be faced with enameled brick of another color as indicated at 10 which also contrast with the color of the areas ll-whieh may be of ordinary unglazed face brick. so in the upper partof the building immediately .below the tower 6, a centralvertically extending area of mottled face brick 12 mav be utilized and at each side thereof and below the same, the building may be faced with the white enameled brick 13. These latter parts of the building are thus set off or sharply emphasized and delineated owing to their high light reflecting capacity in contrast with the juxtaposed areas of the black enameled face brick. The arrangement as a whole, produces a highly ornamental and artistic design in pleasing relief to the harsh fundamental definitive design of the building as a whole as shown in Fig. 1 of the draw- In Fi 3 of the drawings, I-have illustrated the same building with a difie-rent application of the ornamental enameled face brick thereto which produces an altogether different general design. Thus, in this in stance by covering the entire upper tower ';ort-ion 6 of the building with black enameled face brick and applying the additional black enameled brick in the areas indicated at 14 in juxtaposition to the adjacent areas which are faced with white enameled brick, the general design of the building appears to be radically altered. Practically, the entire lower part of the building structure is faced with white enameled brick, thus sharply emphasizing the architectural features of this part or the building while the upper or tower portion thereof is relatively in onspicuous Referring now to Figs. 4. 5 and 6 in which I have shown an example of an application of my improved method wherebv the illusion of the illumination of certain selected parts of a buildin during the day may be created, I

have likewise, in this instance, selected for purposes of illustration an oflice building of the skyscraper rccessional type. The portion of the building from the ground to the elevation indicated at 15 may either vary or be of uniform dimensions in plan, and is faced with ordinary unglazed brick, or stone or granite blocks. At the elevation 15, there is a suitable arrangement of flood lights whereby the upper or tower portion 16 of the building may be artificially illuminated. Parts of this tower portion showr-- at 1? may be faced with the same brick or stone as the lower portion while other areas thereof are faced with the black enameled brick 18 and with the white enamel brick 19. The latter portions of the tower are therefore, very sharply emphasized owing to the high light reflecting uality of the white enameled brick and at a distance, to the observer visually appear to constitute the only tangible parts of the upper portion of the buildin This is particularly true at night, owing to the juxtaposed arrangement of the black enameled surface brick 18. However, also in the day time, as indicated in Fig. (i, when the artificial flood lighting is not used, the portions of the building tower which are faced with the white enameled brick by the reflection of light from their surfaces will also appear to be illuminated in contrast with the adjacent black enameled face brick, especially when viewed against the blue sky as a background or a cloud. bank of darker hue.

I In connection with the latter feature of my new method, I also propose in cases where the entire upper or tower portion of the building is to be illuminated at night, to face the sides of the building beginning at the bottom with dark gray or black enameled brick, and to continue the facing brick upwardly with succeeding lighter hues of the same primary color as the base brick so that there is no sharp or abrupt line of demarkation horizontally between enameled face brick of different colors. This gradual gradation in the coloring of the face brick approaches the ultimate or uncolored white surface enameled brick at the base of the upper tower portion 16 and merges into the tower portion, the entire surfaces of which are covered by the pure white enameled face brick. Thus when the flood lights are thrown upon this tower, its entire surface will be brilliantly illuminated and by the reflection of light, such illumination will apepar to extend downwardly below the level 15 at which the flood lights are located. In this case also, in the day time when artificial illumination is not used, the rcfiection of light from the reflecting surfaces of the white enameled brick on the tower 16 will result in the optical illusion of artificial illumination, and to all visual appearances. the building tower will seem to be as brilliantly illuminated during the day as it is at night.

In Fig. 7 of the drawings, I have shown the upper portion 20 of a structure entirely faced with the white enameled brick while at .the lower end thereof and surrounding this structure there is a band 21 of black enameled face brick and at each corner the downwardly extending narrow areas 22 of black enameled brick. Between these portions 22 and adjacent to the band 21, there may be arranged areas of enameled face brick 23 of mottled a ppearance. This arrangementproduces a highly ornamental effect, and by the sharp line of demarkation between the light reflective white enameled upper portion 20 of the structure and the lower portion thereof, the former is sharply emphasized and distinguished from the latter.

In Fig. 8 of the drawings, I have shown in detail an application of my present method, in which the building may be faced with blocks or bricks having grooves or channels 2-1 therein, the base walls of which are coated with black enamel 25 while the side walls may be coated with white enamel indicated at 26. At each side of the channel 2- the face portions of the brick may either be left plain, or coated with enamel of a contrasting color. Brick of this construction may be applied in any desired ornamental arrangement to the face of the building to produce a highly artistic effect by the reflection of light from the side walls 26 of the channels 24, in contrast with the faces of the brick and the black enameled base surfaces 25 of said channels.

It is extremely important in using spectrum colors that the reflecting surface shall not change in the minutest degree the color to be reflected; also that a non-reflecting surface shall not reflect any color in the slightest degree. There are only thre kinds of face brick that ha to these attributes, namely, the white, the black, and the white and black mottled. It will thus, be understood that the invention is not necessarily con fined to the use of enamelcd brick solely, as a dull surfaced brick is of great advantage at times, because it lacks the flash of light found in enamels or porcelams or glazing, and especially in the blacks. The dull surface is without any glint or flash of light- From the foregoing description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, the improved method constituting the e lliijtL't matter of this application as well as in: several advantages in practical use will he clearly and fully understood. It will be evident that with a proper iuidcrstanding of architectiu'al design, by an intelligent apprehension of artistic effects which may be produn-ed l) thc juxtaposed arrangement of color hues. glazed or enameled face brick may be so applied to a building or other architectural structure in accordance with my method as to pi' -lw'fi a desired preconceived design efp i't-ct ii; the structure as a whole, and may method for the purpose of creating the optical illusion of day light illumination of a selected part of a building as well as emphasizing the illumination of such portions of the building at night by artificial lighting. In the latter case also my invention enables a more effective arrangement of the flood lights with a more economical consumption of electrical power than in the use of present methods and systems of building illumination.

The ideas herein described may be extended to roof shingles, roof tile, or roof bricks in order to carry out the effect. Such roof shingles would then 3 made. of white enamel or black enamel. and carry out the continuation of the design on the main part of the building. Of course, mottled shingles of white and black would be used also, if gradations in the color effect are desired. Instead of enamel. glazed matt or other characteristic surfaces of large or small light reflecting character-is tics would be utilized.

Also, in the case of the recessional type of building which have flat roofs, the design of the building may be continued thereon by the use of light reflecting or light deadening bricks on the flat roof in coordination with the design on the building. which bricks or the like on the flat roof serves to reflect to the design on the building or serve to deaden the lighton the building.

I have herein disclosed several embodiments of my improved method, which I believe to be entirely practical for the purposes in view, but itwill nevertheless be understood that the essential features thereof might also be practically applied in various other wa s and to structures of other architectural esigns than those which I have selected for purposes of illustration. Accordingly, it will be understood that I reserve the privilege of resorting to all such legitimate changes as may be fairly embodied within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim:

1. That method of creating optical effects with architectural structures of buildings and the like, which consists in incorporating in the surface of a building predetermined black and white substantially vertical and substanpredominance and deletion oi desired por- T c tions of the building structure.

2. That method of creating optical effects with the surfaces of buildings and the like,

5 which consists in incorporating in the surface of the building predetermined black and white substantially vertical and substantially horizontal areas positioned in relation to the architectural structure of the building for m respectively substantially wholly absorbing and substantially wholly reflecting ant light rays striking said surface of the building to optically produce under natural and artificial light rays predominance and deletion of desired portions of the building structure so 1 that the building will appear substantially the same in daylight and at night under artificiallight. v. V-

1 3. That method of creating optical effects a rwith buildings with normal light absorption areas, which consists in incorporating in the surface of the building predetermined black and white substantially vertical and substantially horizontal areas, incorporating areas which have a gradation between black and white and which merge from the white areas into the surfaces of normal absorption, all

, of said areas being positioned in relation to i z 1 2 one another and in relation to the archiso tect-ural structure of the building for respectively substantially wholl absorbing and substantially wholly reflecting any light rays striking said surface of the buiiding to optically produce under natural and artificial light rays predominance, deletion and gradati on of desired portions of the building structure so that the building will appear substantiall the same in daylight as at night under arti cial light. 41 40 In testimony that I claim the foregoing as x my invention, I have signed. mv name hereto. ROBERT M. SUTPHEN. 

